Episode 231: Protection (Zero)

Brothers collected, Zero just needed Delaney to complete the five sibling requirement.

Zero knocked on her door. “Delaney?”

He heard her move toward the door and opened it. “Yeah?”

It was hard to believe she was his sister: Blonde, bouncy, freckles.

“I need help with a few spells. Five siblings is strong magic. We’re putting up wards.” She could meet her other brothers.

“I was just going to bed?” Delaney looked back in her room. Zero fought the desire to ask if Spaden was in the room.

“Can I help tomorrow?” Delaney asked.

“If you’re alive.” He moved aside to make room for her in the hallway. “Come on.”

Delaney followed, slow and unenthused. As they walked to the rooms set up for Talise and Aadya, Jinx joined them.

He stopped outside of Talise’s door. “She’s going to panic. Act calm. We’re just putting up wards.”

Prepared, they entered the room.

“Hey, is everything wrong or something?” Talise asked.

Zero laughed at everything. “This should be the last disturbance before you deliver. Just ensuring the wards are up while I have a minute.”

Talise rolled her yes, but behind it Zero could see the waves of angst. “Yeah. Routine.”

“That’s why there’s five of you,” Niels said. He looked at Zero’s brothers and sister. “Hi, other Zeros.”

Dax laughed and began to prepare the room for the spell.

“Congratulations,” Caz said. He moved to position as well.

Zero led Delaney to her own spot.

“I already did surgery. I don’t think I’m the best person for this, because I’m super tired.”

Zero took a deep breath.

“Just do it,” Xander said, his voice an almost growl.

Delaney jumped a little.

“Are you helping or not, Delaney?” Zero asked, waited.

Delaney watched Talise, being calmed by Niels. “I’m helping.”

“Just stand in position, we’ll pass the spell between us,” Zero instructed.

“Is the attack happening?” Talise asked. “I heard my mom… a little… I mean for a second.”

Zero had missed something. He needed to check in on Aadya. “Surgery?” He asked Delaney. He hoped she didn’t mean real surgery, on Aadya. That her babies had to be removed by c-section. He didn’t know why they would have to be. His mind raced. He worked to calm it, to focus on Talise and protecting her.

“I’m probably confused,” Delaney stated. “It was a dream.”

Zero studied her, then released the worry: Aadya was Dragon. She would survive anything Delaney could manage. He hoped.

Zero splashed cold water from his hand, magic, onto Delaney. “More awake?”

She growled back at him, a Lavesque growl.

Zero ignored it, his eyes on Talise and Niels. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m having a crisis during labor,” Talise said, all snark. “How are you feeling? Confident? A little off?” Talise started moving Niels away from her. “You know what? I need to get up.” She stood, wobbly through a contraction.

“I can’t do this right now,” Talise said, shaking and pulling at the IV Zero had hooked up, to force labor. “Maybe we can revisit delivering tomorrow.”

Niels pulled Talise against him, locked her into his arms. “Hang on.”

“Niels! Get off!”

Zero stepped closer, but let Niels handle Talise for the moment. She wasn’t leaving the room, but if Niels could calm her it would go better.

“Why don’t you throw something at the blonde chick?” Niels joked. “It helped your dad feel better.”

Zero laughed.

“Because,” Talise argued. “The blonde chick isn’t attacking my kingdom. Let me go!” Her skin blazed, but Niels held her.

Zero moved to a cabinet and pulled a sedative out. He’d last used it on one of Nell’s precious monsters, he suspected it would be strong enough to calm Talise.

He injected it into her IV while Niels held her.

Her body slumped onto the bed, her skin cooled.

“Hey!” Niels protested.

“She’ll take a short nap,” Zero told Niels. “Calm down.

“She just needed a minute to talk,” Niels insisted.

Talking with fire was dangerous. They weren’t Dragon and they had limited time.

“I don’t have a minute,” Zero stated. He moved back into position, while his brothers and sister refocused.

“What the fuck is going on?” Niels asked.

“There’s been a minor incident,” Zero explained. “Konrad wants everyone protected in case this is the attack.”

Niels relaxed. “Is everyone okay? Who got incidented?”

The five began passing the protection spell between each other, in a star around Niels and Talise.

“Your mom,” Zero said.

“Is she okay?”

“No. I need to go ward Aadya, Meldrick, and the palace,” Zero started. “I have three sets of babies to deliver.”

“Okay. Go.”

Zero breathed through a laugh, the spell moving between them. It began to move itself, passing just across the skin of their hands and making a red and golden star around Niels and Talise. The air near them began to flicker golden red, and then the spell fell into four small stones, one for Niels, another for Talise, and two for their unborn sons. Zero looped them in wire and attached them to necklaces. He handed one to each of them and the extra two he put across Talise’s stomach.

“Thank you,” Niels said.

Zero nodded, and he left with his family to Aadya’s delivery room, two doors across.

When they entered the room, the bed was covered in blood but empty. Spaden stood from beside a bassinet. “Hi. I…” His face went pale while he looked at the babies. “You weren’t answering.”

Zero looked at his son, covered in blood, hand shaking, face pale. He saw himself reflected there. He crossed his room and hugged Spaden. “What happened?”

“Greg was being killed. I had to get the babies out before he died.”’

To make them heirs, of course.

At least Aadya was Dragon, tolerant of pain and able to survive any errors Spaden may have made, though he doubted Spaden had done a terrible job.

Even so, one wrong slice and she could have died, had she been anyone else.

“I told you,” Delaney said. “Surgery.”

Zero went to examine the babies. While he did, he sent images to Konrad, of the babies and of the vacant bed.

“You delivered babies?” Xander asked. “You’re a better man than I am.” He patted Spaden on the back, and Spaden beamed a little.

Zero lifted each child, first the one with darker skin and dark curly hair. It would darken into Aadya’s tone with age, Zero suspected. Spaden had swaddled her in a blanket and cleaned her skin. She had a bow on her head, silky green. She blinked her eyes, but fell back to sleep. Zero placed her back in the bassinet.

“He did. The babies look strong. You did well.” He lifted the second baby, with lighter, but still tan skin. His hair was a mix of tans and reds. They were, beyond any doubt, Nell’s.

“He did a really good job with everything,” Delaney said. “Except she wouldn’t let him do stitches.”

“Whatever happened, Aadya will heal. You did well.”

Spaden relaxed, and Zero could see the beginning of pride. Modest pride, he suspected, because it had been a messy delivery.

“Can you watch them while we’re away?” Zero asked.

“I can watch them.”

“Nell will be by soon,” Zero guessed aloud. “They’re his. He can take them.”

Spaden agreed, and they left – the five of them. It would be a long night.

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